Tensions that gave rise to Occupy still need to be addressed
The recent jailings in the wake of the Mong Kok riot were carried out according to the law not politics, but the episode is far from over and youngsters remain in despair
The riot that broke out in the busy district of Mong Kok two years ago was widely seen as the aftermath of the 2014 Occupy protests. While the tension has somewhat eased, the social and political ills that gave rise to the city’s worse civil unrest in years still prevail. Unless greater effort is made to address the problems, the lingering sentiment will continue to prevent us from moving forward.
Mixed reactions to the jail term given to Edward Leung Tin-kei for his role in the 2016 riot are an extension of that long-standing divide. For those who see the 27-year-old localist as an instigator of violence, the six-year imprisonment handed out by the High Court on Monday has served both justice and deterrence. But for those impressed by his political ideals, sympathy and sorrow abound.
The violence stemmed from dissatisfaction with hawker control measures in the heart of Kowloon during Lunar New Year, but soon escalated into full-scale clashes involving the police, with fires set in the street and bricks hurled at officers.
Madam Justice Anthea Pang Po-kam, who also jailed two others for seven years and 3 1/ 2 years on Monday, said the riot, carried out by a mob with a bitter desire for revenge, was not something that could be mitigated by one’s political aspirations. Lenient sentencing would send the wrong message that those fed up with the government could resolve matters through violence, she said.
